Peace and Dissension
by Pannychan
Summary: Kaidie is a paladin of the Argent Crusade sent on a diplomatic mission to Orgrimmar. Thrall is fascinated by her character. Will her mission succeed, or will she become distracted by something else? Rated M for later chapters which will come with R/R
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own WoW or any of the characters from the lore. Kaidie, however is mine. She is my concept, my creation.

***** indicates a flashback

indicates a language other than common.

Italics indicate thoughts.

Feel free to read and review!

Chapter 1

Meetings

Kaidie rode anxiously on the divine steed as she and her entourage approached the borders of Durotar. She had never been to horde territory before, and she knew that a human in orcish lands was not likely to be given a warm welcome. But, she was on a very important task set for to her by her mentor, Tirion Fordring. She was acting as diplomat between the Horde and the Argent Crusade.

It had been 5 years since The Lich King and his forces had been defeated. Kaidie had only just started her training back then. The most she had seen of that battle had been elaborate stories told by soldiers on leave or traveling bards. She had been anxious to join the affront, but she had only been 18 at the time and Lord Tirion had not been willing to send a young and untrained girl to her death. So she waited and trained. She was one of the best paladins in her class. Top in skills with use of the Light. It seemed to almost come naturally from her. She had also had training in the martial aspect of combat, but she preferred sitting back and making sure her comrades were well supported. After all, the fewer deaths on the battle field there were, the more likely that side was to achieve victory.

She stopped as they reached the gates of Orgrimmar. They were huge. She watched as two armed guards approached the small party and looked them over. They seemed defensive at first, weapons drawn and at the ready, but when they saw the banner of the Argent Crusade and the tabards sported by each of the members, they snorted and motioned for the group to follow. Kaidie swallowed hard. She hadn't known what to expect of her mission when Tirion had first given it to her. All she had known at first was she was finally being entrusted with something important. When he told her she was to be an ambassador to Thrall from the Argent Crusade, she felt floored.

******

"You can't be serious, Lord Fordring. I've only recently completed my training. I've never even seen battle and you are sending me to the capital of the Orcish nation?" She looked at him in disbelief. No way had she heard him correctly.

"I'm very serious, Kaidie. You are by far the most adept of your class. You're intelligent, talented, and fluent in their language. Not to mention I have never met someone as charismatic as yourself aside from Lady Jaina herself." The aged paladin looked to the young 23 year old woman with a look that could not be denied as serious. He knew the girl's history with the orcs. He'd heard her story and it was because of her past that he knew this would work out. It was because of one orc in particular that he knew this mission would be successful.

******

Kaidie didn't hesitate to follow the orcs into the city. She knew that she would be safe under an armed escort. They were here for a reason and she intended to see her mission completed. Though she couldn't help but be nervous as the orcs around the city glared and even spit at her and her group. She ignored it for the most part, but she could tell that the rest of her group was more irritated by it than scared or nervous.

Finally, the orcs stopped at a large complex. They were muttering insults in the orcish tongue. She knew that her men didn't understand it, but she knew perfectly well what they were saying. Most of it made her very very uncomfortable. Not angry and insulted uncomfortable, but the kind of discomfort that made her never want to be caught alone with them. She wondered if they knew she understood every word they'd said, or if they thought that the leader of the Argent Crusade would send a group of people that couldn't speak the language of the people she was trying to negotiate with.

She set those thoughts aside for now. There were more pressing matters to attend to as she dismounted from her steed and the other four paladins with her followed suit. She stepped into the building and realized it was a great hall. She suddenly felt very small. Surrounding her was an entourage of races. Really tall races. Taurens, trolls, and of course orcs. Granted the orcs weren't really tall so much as they were very bulky with shoulders that seemed to be as long as her arm span. Of course she was exaggerating it in her mind a little bit. At least she thought she had been until she entered the second and backmost room. She saw two men standing there. One troll, whom she assumed to be Vol'jin leader of the Darkspear trolls. The other an orc. She knew the Orc to be Thrall, the leader of all of the orcs and the Horde forces. He was busy looking over what appeared to be topical maps and he was speaking to Vol'jin in the troll's native tongue. Kaidie was unfamiliar with it, so she stood there quietly and waited to be noticed by one of them.

Her guards, however, seemed less than patient as one of them loudly cleared his throat which earned him a death glare from Kaidie. He looked at her before he spoke.

"They were taking forever, we are on a deadline." The paladin spoke to her as though he were leading the mission.

Kaidie scowled deeply at him and made a mental note to council him later on his behavior. She turned her attentions quickly back to Thrall and Vol'jin with an apologetic look. Both men were now looking at her expectantly and she was suddenly very nervous. She bowed her head and placed her right fist against her left shoulder.

"I apologize, Lord Thrall...Lord Vol'jin. That was very rude of my man and he will be reprimanded for it later." She spoke in Orcish, hoping that at least landed her in their good graces. Vol'jin sneered and walked past them and out of the room. He clearly wanted nothing to do with the humans or their attempts at being diplomatic. It didn't really bother Kaidie too much.

She couldn't deny Vol'jin was impressive as he walked by her. She was only 5'6" tall. She was almost short by human standards. The large troll hunched at 7' minimum. She didn't want to imagine just how tall he would be if he stood up straight.

It was then that she heard Thrall clear his throat. She looked over to him and took note of his smirk. _~Touché...~ _she thought to herself. She smiled sweetly and took in his features. Orcs were so hard to tell apart to her. Usually, she saw them all clad in armor, leaving little to distinguish their individuality. She took note of Thrall's armor. A leader that wore something other than plate armor was a new sight to her. Thrall was clad in what appeared to be very thick padded leather. She had learned from her draenei classmates that plate was too encumbering for shamans, and Thrall was one of the most infamous shamans she had ever heard about. Her eyes trailed up to his face to take in his facial features and she froze for a moment. His eyes were probably the brightest blue she had ever seen. It was all too familiar. She knew she'd seen them before.

Thrall's head tilted to the side as he watched her expression change from apologetic, to shocked, then back to apologetic as she bowed again and gave another quick apology. She was so young. Why had Tirion sent such a young girl to a city that hated her race? Surely he understood the risks for this child. He waved her off and then looked to her men behind her.

"The guards will not be necessary, girl. I assure you, I won't harm you." He stated in an amused orcish tone. He watched as she looked behind her and seemed to sum her men up. She shrugged and nodded.

She spoke to her men in her own language. "Stand outside. Guard the horses."

The men looked from her to the large orc and then back to her as though she were crazy. "Kaidie, we are not to leave your side. Orders from Lord Fordring." One of them stated matter-of-factly. As though that simple statement should be enough for her. She wasn't so convinced.

"I am in charge of this mission, Zaratul, and I will do what I think is best for it. Now stand outside or leave the city all together." Her voice was steady and authoritative. Something that Thrall had not expected from one so young. He was starting to understand why Tirion may have sent her. The men seemed to hesitate for a moment before they all turned and walked out of the building. It was clear that one of them was unhappy, which he made clear by scowling directly at her. That was fine for her. She hadn't been very fond of that particular paladin for a long while.

She turned her attentions back to Thrall, speaking to him in his own tongue again. "Again, Lord Thrall, I apologize. All of those men are seasoned paladins. They are...hesitant to follow the orders of a girl just out of training."

Thrall gave a chuckle at that and spoke, this time in her common tongue. "No need to speak to me in a language that is not your own. After all, I was raised to speak common." He paused for a moment and seemed to sum her up. She wasn't tall, but she wasn't short. Her hair was a bright chestnut brown that hung loosely to her shoulders. She had a delicate figure and a very confident stance. By human standards, she was likely very attractive. "So tell me...Why would Tirion send a child to negotiate with me?" His voice was more curious than insulted. Perhaps when she first entered he had been upset, but now Kaidie really couldn't tell.

"I assure you Lord Thrall; he meant no disrespect by it. In fact, part of the reason I'm here is directly related to the reasons these negotiations are needed." She watched Thrall's reaction for a moment. He seemed even more curious now. Good. "King Wrynn has been holding a grudge against you and your horde for quite a long while now. To the point that he's being driven mad. He recently passed a law that states any and all who associate with the horde, especially those who associate with the orcs, are to be arrested and imprisoned. Depending on the severity of the "involvement" they are even being executed. His zeal is bordering on being comparable to that of the Scarlet Crusade." She paused for a moment to let the information so far sink in for Thrall.

He looked to her, a bit impressed. "So by coming here, you not only risk your life by my orcs, but you risk your life by your own king as well?" He was intrigued at the logic behind the girl's actions.

She smiled and nodded. "I want peace for my people as much as you do for yours, Lord Thrall. Lady Jaina is too much in the public eye these days. Wrynn's laws carry to her too. He went to her personally and told her that if she was caught associating with you, she would be publicly executed. I, however, am the daughter of a nobody farmer whose family was killed by orcs." She paused briefly again as she spoke those last words. She hadn't expected that to come up. At least not this soon. "I'm the last person they would look at to be associating with orcs. I also happen to be fluent in your language. Which is why I am here and not someone else."

Thrall listened intently. His interest was piqued as she spoke of her family being killed by orcs. This girl was very interesting. "Your family was killed by orcs, yet you work to come to peace with them? Did they fall in battle?" He asked curiously.

She shook her head. "No, Lord Thrall. My parents were farmers and they, along with my village, were attacked by a band of marauding orcs. Only myself and my older sister survived." She didn't want to talk about this anymore. "We're veering off topic though. This visit isn't about me, Lord Thrall."

He nodded and held his hand up as though to say, you're right. "I apologize. It's not my business. And please, call me Thrall. Now...why exactly are you here?"

"I'm here to negotiate an official peace treaty between your horde and my crusade. Lord Fordring along with Lady Jaina shall be breaking away from the Alliance in due time and taking as many of theirs and Wrynn's people with them as possible when they do. When this secession occurs, it will without a doubt incur Wrynn's and possibly other alliance faction leaders' wrath. We could be looking at a very short and bloody war with Stormwind and possibly Ironforge. We would need allies on our side." She watched Thrall's reaction. He didn't seem amused as she had expected, but instead thoughtful.

"Hmm...That does pose a problem my dear paladin. Bringing a band of humans into the horde would be like a band of orcs taking residence in Stormwind. It's not likely to end well." He leaned his hands on his table and seemed to think things over.

Kaidie simply smiled and nodded. "I completely agree with you, Thrall. But we are not asking to join the horde. We shall remain neutral as the Argent Crusade has been thus far. Jaina will be forming what she calls the Kalimdoran Alliance, basically moving her people from the Eastern Kingdoms to Kalimdor where Wrynn's wrath would have trouble's reaching. This treaty would merely offer us support from your horde should the need arise with Wrynn's inevitable retaliation."

Thrall nodded at that. "I understand. We shall discuss this more on the morrow. For now, I am hungry as I am sure yourself and your men are. I will have meals sent to them when they settle in their room."

Kaidie gave him an odd look. "And am I to fend for myself, Lord Thrall?" She grinned a bit, having a feeling that was not what he was getting at.

Thrall gave a chuckle at that. "No, my dear, you have sparked my interest on a personal level and I would like to get to know you more. I was hoping that you would accept an invite to join me for dinner." Thrall was gauging her reaction this time. She seemed hesitant, but thoughtful about it.

"I don't see why I couldn't join you, Thrall." She smiled sweetly to him, but inside her stomach was in knots. He wanted to ask her questions about herself. Would that include asking about her parents? She certainly hoped not. She wasn't ready to talk about that day. Not yet. She laughed in her mind at that thought. ~Not yet~. As though she ever wanted to relive that awful day.

Thrall could tell that there was something on her mind, but thought little of it for now. He smiled as Kaidie walked out to send her men off to the inn they'd been assigned to. She was definitely an interesting young girl.

__________________________________________

Kaidie walked out of the building and over to her men who were all standing near their horses, watching the orc guards nervously. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. Both sides looked on edge. Like they would strike the other down if they so much as sneezed. She stepped between them to try and diffuse the situation.

"Alright men, you can head on over to the inn and settle in. I have a few more things to take care of here, but I'll meet up with you later. Don't wait for me to eat." She spoke in an authoritative tone and was about to turn and walk back in to Thrall's hall when one of her men gripped her by the shoulder. She knew that was too easy.

"Excuse me, Kaidie, but we are your guards. Meaning we are here to guard you." The guard seemed annoyed to say the least. Kaidie just sat there looking at him as she quirked her brow in that ~So what?~ manner. The guard rolled his eyes. "We can't guard you if we're in the inn eating and you're out here in the middle of the orc city by yourself."

She sighed and looked up to the paladin. She'd known this paladin most her life. In fact, she had deeply cared for him back when she was a fledgling paladin. But he had shown no such interest. Instead, he had met her sister and they had ended up marrying. The history between the two of them was complicated. Her feelings for him had come out after the fact and it had created a great deal of tension between the two. She was less than excited when Tirion had stated that he would be a part of her team.

"Look, Zaratul, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. And I highly doubt Thrall intends me any harm. We are merely going to be discussing things further while we eat. It's been a long day, and I'm really not in the mood to argue." She sounded tired all of a sudden, as if his attempts at concern were wearing on her nerves. She wasn't trying to hide it either. It's not that she felt he was concerned for her. He was more concerned about doing his "duty". She didn't feel like listening to his upcoming lecture.

"Kaidie, I was assigned to protect you, and I'm not leaving your side." He was being defiant. He didn't care if she thought she knew everything. She was his responsibility and he meant to keep an eye on her. She, however, was being difficult as usual. She shrugged his hand off of her shoulder and turned to fully face him.

"You will do as I order you to. I have been given command of this mission and if I say you go to the inn and wait for me, then you go to the inn and you wait for me. No arguments. Your presence could possibly hinder my purpose here and I'm not going to risk insulting Thrall just to satisfy your ego. Now get your arse to the inn." She never raised her voice. She never lost her temper. She spoke coolly and calmly, but remained stern. She didn't wait for his compliance. She turned on her heel and headed back into Thrall's building to meet him for their meal. Had she taken the time to examine the other paladin's body language she would have noticed the look on his face. One that promised to put her in her place.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: As usual, I do not own Warcraft or any other Blizzard created game or lore. _

_Please R/R! The more you R/R the more motivated I will be to get chapters out!_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_After Dinner_

Kaidie stepped into the room where Thrall had been previously and blinked at what she saw. There was a veritable buffet set out before her. It was only big enough to feed two people, but it was lavish and almost exotic. There were different kinds of meats, fruits and vegetables, breads, and wine. Thrall had already made himself a plate and sat at the end of the table, watching her as he took a large bite out of the plainstrider drumstick in his hand. He motioned to the food with the haunch of meat and swallowed what he'd been chewing.

"Please, feel free to help yourself, Girl." It was then he realized he'd never actually asked her name. Thrall chuckled to himself. "How unbelievably rude of me. You knew who I was the moment you stepped through the door, but I never had the pleasure of getting your name."

Kaidie pursed her lips together slightly as she heard him and grabbed her plate. She knew as a diplomat she should have introduced herself in the first place, but when she recognized him she had forgotten to properly state her name. She grabbed some pulled ham and a few pieces of fruit and sat at the only other chair at the table. Which just happened to be to Thrall's immediate right. She popped a grape into her mouth and smiled sweetly to him.

"My name is Kaidie, Sir." She still couldn't really get past calling him by a title of respect. She'd been raised show respect to others, and it was a surprisingly difficult habit to break.

Thrall sat the drumstick down at the mentioning of her name. It sounded so familiar, but why? Maybe it was a common human name. That had to be it. Though putting her name with her face, she reminded him of someone. Great. Now he'd be up all night trying to figure it out.

"That is a very lovely name, Kaidie." He finally said after a moment of silent reflection. "Please, tell me about yourself. What spurred you to become a paladin? Exactly how old are you?"

Kaidie took a bite of her ham and leaned back casually in her chair. Perhaps it would help her not be so nervous. "Well…" she said between chews. Thrall didn't seem to care that he was speaking with his mouth full, why should she? "I was 18 when I first joined the Knights of the Silver Hand. Wrynn had a lot of control over them and their missions. During the first year of my training, I would constantly hear of missions the paladins were sent on to kill bands of orcs and trolls. I understood his hatred, but I could not condone his zeal and desires for genocide. I almost quit."

Thrall listened intently, a smile curled upon his lips. "Why didn't you?"

She shrugged as she popped another grape in her mouth. "I wasn't sure at first. After all, the Knights of the Silver Hand were a part of the Argent Crusade. Why would someone like Tirion Fordring allow such things to happen? I just felt like something was telling me to stay just a little while longer. So I listened to it. Then one day, Tirion Fordring visited our temple. He was searching for recruits in the clean up of Northrend. Arthas had just been defeated and he needed able bodied soldiers to help cleanse the remainder of the undead from Icecrown. I volunteered. "

Thrall was thoroughly fascinated with her story now. "So young and fighting the undead? If Tirion hadn't sent you to me at such a young age, I'd not believe he'd have sent you to Icecrown so young either."

Kaidie couldn't help but grin at that. "Well, he didn't actually send me to Icecrown to fight scourge. He said I wasn't trained enough. I had this terrible urge to press the matter so I asked if I could speak with him privately. He agreed and pulled me to the side. I told him of my concerns for King Wrynn's sanity and that I wasn't comfortable with the tasks he sent his paladins on. That's when he told me to come with him to Icecrown and complete my training. He would induct me into the Argent Crusade and when my training was complete, he would task me with important matters. Such as cleansing the scourge from the face of Azeroth."

She paused to take another bite of her food and a drink of the wine. It was rich and sweet. She'd not had wine quite so sweet before. Thrall took note of the look on her face as she tasted the wine and chuckled.

"It's made from mageroyal seeds." He couldn't help but watch as she enjoyed her meal. Truly enjoyed it. And she seemed so comfortable with his company. Aside from Jaina, all of the other diplomats he'd ever seen seemed to think he would try to poison them or outright kill them. Was she that trusting? Or perhaps that naïve? Sure, he didn't intend her harm, but he knew plenty of orcs still believed in the hatred of others such as Garrosh Hellscream. He'd barely squelched that uprising. Garrosh was much younger than Thrall and had the endurance of youth that Thrall just didn't have. But it was Thrall's faith in the elements and Jaina's prompt intervention that had saved Thrall and his horde from following a path much like that of his Stormwind rival.

His thoughts were starting to trail. Time to get back on track. "Forgive the personal questions, Kaidie, but you have sparked my curiosity and I must ask." He paused to make sure he had her attention. She nodded as she grabbed a napkin and wiped the corners of her mouth, watching him expectantly. "Why, if orcs killed your family, do you act as an ambassador to them?"

Kaidie let out a slow breath. She had been waiting for this question. She wasn't sure how to answer it. "Well," she started, "Orcs took my mother and father from me. For that, I hate them. But they also saved me."

Thrall looked at her confused. "I don't understand."

"You see…my family was rather simple. We lived in a farming village. There was no militia or guard for us. The entire village was dedicated to raising food and livestock for Lordaeron. One day, a band of orc soldiers invaded. They ransacked the entire village. My father tried to hide my mother, sister and myself in the attic. Our basement had our family food supply and we figured that would be the first place the orcs would look." Kaidie had to pause for a second. This next part of the story was going to be the hardest. She took in a deep breath. "Daddy locked us in and went to face down the orcs. We all knew we'd not find him alive. We heard the orcs burst in through the door and Daddy met them head on with his pitchfork. It glanced off of their armor like grease on a pig. The orc wasted no time in skewering my father to the wall."

Another pause. Thrall seemed to ponder things for a moment. Why would she ever act so friendly towards an orc after something like that? He just didn't understand. But he didn't want to rush her. Let her finish on her own time.

Kaidie appreciated his patience. She continued though. "We waited for what felt like hours until the noise stopped. We thought it would be safe to come out of the attic. So we walked downstairs. My mother screamed when she saw my father hung on the wall like a painting, and she promptly fell to the ground in front of us. My sister and I thought she'd simply passed out from shock. Then we saw the blood seeping from the back of her head. We'd been wrong about the orcs having left. They grabbed myself and my sister…"

Kaidie stopped again when she saw the look on Thrall's face. It was a mixture of shock and disbelief. He spoke next. "You were the only two survivors of the pillaging?"

Kaidie nodded. "Yes. The orcs were going to sell us into slavery. We were 5 and 7. Good house slaves I suppose. I remember what they'd been saying. I couldn't understand it, but afterwards, it's what spurred me on to learn your language."

Thrall nodded, but remained silent as he watched her. She had a knowing look in her eyes. "Don't you want to know how we got away." She asked him as she watched his reaction. That look of shock still on his face as he looked to her, waiting.

"We were saved by another orc. He came into the village and the anger simply seethed from him. He saw the orcs carrying myself and my sister under their arms like barrels, and the death and destruction around the village, and it was like something snapped. He started shouting in orcish and one who had lead the plundering stepped forward. The leader didn't have time to react before the other orc pushed him to the ground and then brought his mace down against the orc's skull. The other two orcs dropped us as the new orc started shouting at them. They looked at us and started to leave, but that orc walked up to us and knelt down. My sister was terrified. She kept tugging on my shoulder, calling my name. I couldn't tear my eyes away from him."

Thrall looked to her with a suddenly guarded curiosity. "Why not?" He was almost nervous about what her answer might be.

She simply smiled to him. "It was his eyes. They set him apart from every other orc I'd seen. The other orcs' eyes were a glowing crimson. But his…his eyes were as blue as the ocean." She felt a soft blush rise to her cheeks as she spoke of the orc's eyes. Thrall just looked to her in amazement. He couldn't believe it. That was why this girl was so familiar to him. Her voice brought him out of his reverie. "I never got to thank him. He gave us food and sent a scout to a nearby village to deliver a message by arrow to the town magistrate. We'd been found in less than two days. I think, though, what really inspired my forgiveness was what he said right before he left us. He looked at us and said…" She didn't get the opportunity to finish before Thrall cut her off.

"I'm so sorry…" He bowed his head in an apologetic, almost ashamed manner. Kaidie frowned a bit and reached over to touch the top of his hand as it rested on his chair. The sudden contact caused Thrall to look up to her in bewilderment.

"It wasn't your fault, Thrall. I remembered every word that you spoke that day. I didn't understand it for a long time, but I remembered it. When I finally learned what you'd spoken to your men…" She trailed off as tears from the memories threatened to pour. She stood and bowed her head respectfully. "I'm sorry, Lord Thrall, but I need to be going. It's late and my men are probably worried about me."

He blinked and nodded to her, not saying a word as she turned and walked out of the building. He couldn't believe that was the same little girl he'd saved all those years ago. She'd not only grown up to be a beautiful young woman, but the liason between him and the Argent Crusade. The deliberate irony was not lost on him. He would likely discuss it with Tirion later.

He stood from his seat and looked to his plate. He'd barely touched his food. He didn't really want to anymore. He sighed and walked out of the building not long after her. He needed to clear his head. He presumed a nice long walk would do him good.

Kaidie walked up to the inn that she had been told to stay at. It was about 20 minutes away from Thrall's throne hall. She said a soft prayer as she dismounted from the divine steed she had rode in on and the horse seemed to poof in a shower of small golden lights. She loved dismissing her mount. It was one of the most reassuring gestures of the Light. Her reverie didn't last long however as the paladin, Zaratul, came back out. He was tall; standing at 6 feet with broad shoulders. He wasn't wearing his armor right now; just his under-tshirt and a pair of loose pants. His body was all muscle. He had a goatee that connected with a neatly trimmed mustache. His hair was a dark brown that stretched down to his chin. It was moments like this Kaidie remembered why she had been so attracted to this man. It was also moments like this that she remembered why she disliked him so much now. He loved to tease her about her feelings for him. It was bad enough that he never returned the feelings while she had them, but he had to openly mock her in front of others about it. Yeah. She was over him now. That crush ended quickly after that.

Zaratul watched her carefully as though he were thinking something over in his mind. She just scowled back to him. "What is so damned interesting to you, Zara?" Zara…it was what she had formed a habit of calling him. He smirked at the endearing nickname.

"I was beginning to wonder if the orc was ever going to let you come back. You know, it really isn't a good idea to get too friendly with these things. Wouldn't want Wrynn to chop your head off for associating with the horde leader." His tone was condescending and patronizing. It was as though she were a child and he was scolding her. She hated that.

"Let's get one thing straight here, Zara. You may out rank me normally, but right now, on this mission, I am law. I am leader. I am just plain in charge. Watch your tone and do not presume to know what is or isn't best for this mission. If I give an order, you follow it without question from now on. And if you EVER interrupt the target of a diplomatic mission again before they are ready to acknowledge us, I will dent your helmet onto your thick skull with my mace." Kaidie spoke with as much authority as she could, but it only seemed to irritate Zaratul more.

He grabbed her by the arm and before she could protest he dragged her up to their rooms. He all but threw her into her room and stepped in after her, closing the door behind him and locking it. Kaidie did not like where this was going.

"What are you doing? Get out." She tried to keep her voice cool and calm as Zara walked up behind her. His hand started undoing the straps of her armor over her shoulders. She spun around out of his grip and just looked at him with wide eyes. "I can undo my own armor, thank you. Now leave my room."

He rolled his eyes and yanked her back over towards him to undo the last strap on her right shoulder. "It goes faster if you have help for the chest piece. These buckles are hard to reach when you're in full plate."

Kaidie scowled. Not because she was angry at him, but because he was right. She _could_ do it on her own, but it would take her at least a half an hour. With help, it took all of five minutes. Before she knew it her chest piece hung freely over her shoulders and she slipped it over her head and set it on the floor next to her bed. She looked to Zara once more with that irritated scowl.

"I'll get my pants on my own. Get out. Now." She was becoming very uncomfortable with the way he was looking at her. She'd seen that look before. He gave her sister that look almost every night before they'd go to bed. It wouldn't be long before Kaidie would hear those familiar, awkward noises from their rooms. No, her brother in law did NOT need to be looking at her like that.

Zaratul all but ignored her order to leave the room. Instead he quickly moved up to her and wrapped his arm around her back, pulling her in and pressing her body to his. His grip was strong and steady, but there was no passion in it. Even when his finger traced the delicate line of her jaw, she felt no heat from him. No real desire.

"I wish I'd known how you felt about me before I met your sister. It had always been you that I wanted. She was a consolation prize. My excuse for being near you every night." Even as Zaratul spoke those words Kaidie felt as though she would be sick. She was no fool. He had never wanted her. He did not marry her sister to be closer to her either. No. She knew exactly what this was. He wanted control and this was how he got it. Seduction. She felt his lips moving lower towards hers. She deflected his advance with a hand on his chest.

"Get. Out. Now." She tried to push him away and move. Her legs felt shaky and she was incredibly uncomfortable with this situation. The only problem was that Zara wouldn't loosen his grip. He held her in his vice like embrace. His attempted lustful expression was replaced with something more sinister. It was beginning to frighten Kaidie. She began to struggle harder against him, but it only seemed to fuel his fire as his hand lifted and he landed a back handed blow to the side of her face. It knocked her to the side. She felt herself fall against her cot and tried to reach for her weapon. But he grabbed her by the hair and yanked her hard backwards and onto the bed. She could swear she felt half of his grip rip from her head. She let out a pained yell as he undid the fastenings of her leg plate armor and pulled them off with an almost expert swiftness.

She barely had time to think before he was on top of her, grinding himself into her. She felt the hard bulge pressed between her legs and began to panic. "Stop, Zara, please!" She pleaded with him to no avail. One hand pinned her wrists above her head as his other moved to unfasten his belt. Thoughts spilled through her mind. Why was he doing this? What purpose did this serve? What did this prove? How could she possibly escape?

He had apparently managed to free himself from the confines of his clothed loins and was placing himself back between her legs. His lips reached down to her ear to whisper, "This is to show you how little power over me you really have. This is to prove to you that if I wanted to, I could have you every night with or without your permission." He seemed to pause as though he wanted to let those terrifying words sink in. But he wasn't done tormenting her. He leaned down to her once more. "Tell me, Kaidie...I never did see you going out with any of the boys you trained with. They never amounted to what I was, did they? I'm willing to bet that you're still a virgin. Even at 23 years of age. Aren't you? Well, we'll fix that."

Something in the last thing he said set her off. She wouldn't let this happen. She was stronger than this. She felt as though she were on an adrenaline high as her left wrist twisted abruptly in his hand above her head. He must not have been expecting her continued struggle as her arm was easily freed and she brought her left elbow hard against his temple. He flew off of the bed and hit the ground with a hard thud. Kaidie wasted no time in sitting up and grabbing the cloth pants she wore under her armor.

Zaratul was out cold. It wouldn't last long though. She didn't even think to grab her weapon, she just wanted to get out of there. So she ran. She ran through the inn, past the rest of her men who were slovenly drunk at the bar downstairs. A lot of good they did her. She ran outside and started running down the street. Her mind was racing from what had just happened. She didn't even notice the group of orcs coming upon her. It wasn't until they grabbed her and yanked her into an alley that she realized there was nothing distinguishing her from a regular human and her diplomatic status.

A large green hand around her throat tilted her head so she could see the face of the orcs who had grabbed her. It was the guards from earlier. Great. They began speaking in orcish again. They were talking about how soft her skin felt and how lovely it must feel pressed against one's body. Then the one holding her by the throat grabbed one of her breasts and squeezed it painfully. Kaidie tried to scream, but the orc's hand about her neck kept her airway almost completely cut off. She could barely breath let alone scream. She tried to struggle, but she was being lifted off of her feet. Then the other orc began to join in, grabbing her other breast. She stopped struggling. What was the point? They outnumbered her. She didn't have her weapon, nor her guards. She couldn't even scream. It turned out to be the smartest thing she could have done.

The orcs must have thought that she had just given up as the hand around her throat moved down to between her legs. She didn't need an invitation as she took in a deep breath and let out a scream loud enough to wake the dead. The orc quickly punched her across the face. Her head was spinning from the impact and she felt nauseous from the dizzy spell she was under. She felt as though she would pass out. She prayed she would. At least that way, she wouldn't have to remember what was about to happen to her.


End file.
